Widened tubular knit fabric and the art of knitting the same



(No Model.)

W. ESTY.

WIDENED TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC AND THE ART OF KNITTING THE SAME. No.371,565. Patented Oct. 18, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE,

\VILLTAM ESTY, OF LAGONIA, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

WIDENED TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC AND THE ART OF KNITTING THE SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371,565. dated @cteber18, 1887.

Application filed May 5, 1887. Serial No. 237,205. (No specimens.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, XVILLIAM; EsTY, of Laconia, in the count-y ofBelknap and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Widened Tubular Knit Fabrics and the Art of Knitting theSame, ofwhieh the following, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to the manufacture of widened tubular knit fabrics;and it consists in a certain novel arrangement of loops composing theseam in that portion of the fabric where the widening takes place, andin a novel art or method of knitting said widened tubular fabric, all ofwhich will be readily understood by reference to the description of thedrawings, and to the claims, to be hereinafter given.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a side elevation of a shirt-sleeve,illustrative of my invention; and Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation ofaportion ofthesaine, showing the form and arrangement of the stitcheswhich constitute the seam in that part ofthe fabric where thewideningtakes place.

In the n'ianufacture of my improved widened tubular fabric I use anautomatic machine having two sets of needles arranged in rows parallelto each other upon fixed beds, said beds being so inclined to each otherthat the needles in either row, when moved endwise by the action of theneedle-cams thereon, will cross the plane of movement of the other setof needles; a two-armed yarn-carrier constructed and arranged to feedtwo yarns to said needles, one to each row of needles, at the same time;means for moving said carrier over said rows of needles and reversingits ends at each end of the rows of needles, so that the yarn which isfed to one row of needles when the carrier is moving in one directionwill be delivered to the other row of needles when it moves in theopposite direction, and a patternchain for automatically throwing intoand out of action the needles for forming the widening seam.

An example of the arrangement and operation of the yarn-carrier ispresented in Letters Patent No. 302,119, granted to me July 15, 1884:,and an illustration of the needles and the pattern-chain for throwingsaid needles into and out of action is presented in another applicationof mine filed December 12, 1884, Serial No. 150,160, and the LettersPatent No. 247,325, granted to me September 20, 1881, in which one setof needles and the patternchain for operating them is shown, the otherset of needles and pattern chain being placed opposite those shown, withthe angle of inclination of the needles and needle-bed reversed and thesinker-hooks about one-sixteenth of an inch apart.

In the drawings, A and B represent portions of the fabric which are knitstraight, or with a uniform number of stitches in each course of eachsection, but with a different number of stitches in the courses of A tothose in B, and O is a section located between A and B, and in which thewidening to give the taper to the fabric takes place. This taperedtubular fabric may be a stocking, the sleeve of a shirt, the leg of apair of drawers, or any other tapered tubular knit fabric, and is knitby commend ing at the small end and at the proper times widening toincrease its diameter and give the desired taper thereto.

If a shirt-sleeve is to be knit, the wristband D is first knit, and thena straight tubular portion, B, is knit,eXtending to the line a, when thewidening begins. Up to this point the two yarns have each been fedalternately to each set of needles, said yarns crossing each other ateach end of the rows of needles, and each course knit having the samenumber of stitches, the number of needles in action being the same inall the courses. TVhen the point for beginning the widening is reachedand the yarn-carrier is at the right-hand end of the machine, anadditional needle at the opposite end of each row of needles is throwninto action, and the end needle of each row of the needles previously inaction and next to the new needle throwninto action and the third needlefrom said new needle are thrown out of action, two courses are knit, thenew needles catching the yarns of the first course and drawing them tothe other side; but as there are no stitches upon said new needles todraw the new loops through, said yarns are cast off as the new needlesare moved forward again, and said new needles catch the yarns of thelast course, and when the yarn-carrier has again ICO reached theright-hand end of the rows of needles the needle last thrown into actionis again thrown out ofaction, drawing down a loop of yarn below theplane of movement ofthe yarns as they are being knit into the fabric,and the two needles which were last thrown out of action, still holdingthe loops of yarn held thereby when thrown out, are again thrown intoaction, and the loops b I), held by said needles, are knit into the nextcourse. Two or more courses are now knit upon the original number ofneedles, while the new needles,\vith the loops held thereby, remain outof action, and then said new needles are again thrown into action, andthe loops 0 c,carried thereby, are knit into the next succeeding course.This operation is repeated as often as it is desired to widen, and iscontinued until the point is reached where it is desired to discontinuethe widening,when anydesired number of courses are knit upon the needlesthen in action without adding to or subtracting therefrom to co mpletethe straight section A, and then the gusset E is knit by widening, asbefore. When completeththe seam of that portion of the fabric where thewidening is done will consist of a series of repetitions of thefollowing features, viz: one or more courses in which the yarns arecrossed at the seam, as at dd,a plurality of loops 1) a drawn from alower course upon each side of the center of the seam over said crossedyarns or first-named courses to a course above and knit into saidcourse, one of said loops upon each side of the center of the seam beingcarried up by a new needle being thrown into action, as heretoforedescribed, thus increasing the numberof stitches in the course andwidening the fabric.

My present invention is a great improve ment upon the inventiondescribed in the Letters Patent No. 302,119, in that a much moretightly-closed widening seam is produced when a plurality of loops uponeach side of the center of the seam are taken from courses below andcarried up over two or more courses and knit into a succeeding course orcourses than when only one such loop is so knit upon each side of saidseam at each widening.

YVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is-

1. A widened tubular fabric having the seam in that portion where thewidening is done composed of a series of repetitions of one or morecourses of crossed yarns, as d d, and a plurality of loops upon eachside of the center of said seam drawn from a course below over and abovesaid first-mentioned courses andknit into a course above at eachwidening, one of said loops upon each side of the seam increasing thenumber of stitches in said course and Widening the fabric.

2. The method of knitting a widened tubular fabric with two yarns on twodistinct sets of needles, which consists in throwing into action a newneedle at one end of each row of needles, at the same time throwing theneedle next to said new needle out of action, still holding the loopthereon, then knitting one or more courses with two yarns fed inopposite directions, then throwing out of action the last needles thrownin, and at the same time throwing into action the needles lastpreviously thrown out of action, knitting, the loops carried by saidneedles into a succeeding course, then knitting one or more courses, andthen throwing into action the new needles previously thrown in to seizethe yarn and then thrown out again, and knitting the loops carried bysaid new needles into a succeeding course, thus increasing the number ofstitches in the course and widening the fabric, and repeating saidoperations until the widening is completed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence'of two subscribing witnesses, on this 28th day of April, A. D.1887.

WVILLI AM ESTY.

